Got the new stock and extended mag release I ordered from Brownell's put on yesterday. The mag release they sell, (ASI) I will like after doing some work on it. Problem now is, by the time it releases the magazine, it is touching against the mag. If it was a hair longer it would be hitting the magazine first, and not be able to go far enough to release the magazine. I think if I grind off a 1/4" or so it will be great. Don't these companies test this stuff and think it out before marketing it ? Also got the ghillie green Hogue overmolded stock. I like the fit, feel and the grippiness of it. In ideal conditions an uncheckered stock, either wood or hard plastic, is o.k., but in other than ideal conditions, soaking rain, sweat or blood on your hands from a wound, for example, they can be slippery. The Hogue has little raised bumps where checkering would normally be, but is grippy all over due to the rubber overmolding. Some have commented they don't like this as it catches on their shirt or jacket as they bring the rifle up. I don't disagree but plan on putting a coyote brown mag pouch on the butt so it shouldn't grab my clothing with the pouch velcroed around the stock. I don't want the pouch so much for a spare mag as a place to put an Otis cleaning cable, a few patches and solvent bottle, and a spare battery for the Aimpoint Patrol optic I'm putting on. Not that the Aimpoint is going to eat through batteries, just nice to have a spare. Most mag pouches for stocks are made for a 30 round mag, I can put the misc. items in a bag in the bottom and still have room for a 20 round mag. I have a few small places to stash those things on my AR (Magpul stock, pistol grip and V.G). They only add a few ounces to the rifle and are always there if you ever need them. My only gripe with the Hogue is nothing about it is green. It looks blue-grey to me. I will call Hogue next week and see if they have one that is actually green to trade me. If not and it still is bugging me, I can always return it and get a Choate and spray paint it green or Coyote brown. Just not into black stocks. My AR's have O.D. green and foliage green Magpul furniture. I considered Hogue's tan Mini stock, but from all the pics I saw, it looks very light colored, and the white swirls are more prominent on the tan stock. I know. I'm being too picky. But when they advertise green, and all the pics I see of them are green, I don't want a blue one. The stock sure looks like the blue siding on the house, doesn't it ?

Fit was pretty snug, much more than my factory wood. Any more snug and I would have had to relieve it some. I guess that's good, cause I've heard that glass bedding wont adhere to it, some petroleum product in the rubber acts like a release agent. I saw where one guy put that silvery duct stuff with adhesive backing around the action lugs to make it fit tighter in his synthetic stock. I haven't weighed both stocks or read the weights listed anywhere, but holding both stocks in my hands, the Hogue felt a tad lighter than the factory wood. It is probably not as light as some of the black plastic stocks, because it's a bit bigger overall and has a palm swell and the rubber coating.

There are a couple of other stocks I'd be happy with, the new factory wood with the thin rubber pad instead of the older, shorter, wood one that came on my rifle (with curved plastic buttplate), or the Choate, slimmer synthetic stock with checkering, I'd paint it something other than black. What really made my Mini nicer, after the Accustrut, was the Ultimak. From what I've heard, adding the flash hider helps stiffen up the pencil barrel and aids accuracy as well. Haven't got out to shoot it yet, since those mods. Before the Ultimak, I mounted a 3-9x 40mm scope in the Ruger rings to test for accuracy and try new loads. But it was a pain, I had to remove my Tech rear sight to use the scope or the sight was in the way and the scope rested on my old plastic handguard, and it wasn't even a big scope. Didn't like the feel/balance or the looks of the Mini with a scope mounted over the action. I'm going to mount an Aimpoint Patrol w/ 2 MOA Dot on the Ultimak, fast, rugged and easy on batteries , just not as precise as a magnified scout scope.

I see some bipods that are mounted clamped around the barrel, or clamped on to the strut, which in turn is clamped on to the barrel. Probably not the best place as it can affect your point of impact. If you want to mount a Harris bipod or Harris copy, you could put a swivel stud into the end of the forearm. I'd countersink the nut for a fine threaded swivel stud and locktite it, rather than use a wood screw style swivel stud. Just make sure the nut is down far enough that it doesn't raise up your metal forend liner, or the liner could bind your op rod travel.
Another way would be to mount a short, 2 to 4 inch piece of Picatinny rail on the bottom of the forearm for mounting a bipod that will clamp to a Picatinny rail. Get some short black wood screws and epoxy them in and the rail should stay o.k.